Midtown Lunch

 The chaplee kebab at Kashmir. Photo courtesy of Eataku

• If the chaplee kebab is coming out fresh at Kashmir, you have to stop [Eataku]
• The best thing about Ippudo Westside right now is that you can get in [II]
• Larb Ubol’s lunch special is a great deal [Ramen & Friends]
• Seersucker is popping up in Rock Center for two weeks [Grub Street]
• Apparently the customer service at Cosi sucks [Grub Street]
• A look at Tabata Ramen #2 [Fork in the Road]
• What it’s like to volunteer at the Vendy Awards [SENY]
• Tehuitzingo has raised their prices 50% [Eataku]

As we reported earlier in the month, Moo Shu Grill has replaced the Fishing Shrimp truck. The new truck has been in Midtown every day this week, giving ML’ers plenty of opportunities to try them out. I stopped by earlier in the week hoping to try the Peking duck moo shu that they had tweeted about.

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Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

I recently had a cabbie that had just come back on duty in the Curry Hill area, so I felt compelled to ask the driver where he had eaten. He said “Haandi”. He even said everything was the best when I ask for dish recommendations. So why isn’t this post about Haandi?? Because it was properly covered by Jason in 2010 (with He-Man spotting and all). I thought about going back for a different angle (which still might happen), but in the meantime, I decided to try Chote Nawab which has has been on my list since it opened back in May 2012. And now I am one step closer to total Curry Hill Domination (aka trying every Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi restaurant in the area.)

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With a little over two weeks until the Oscars of Street Food, this year’s Vendy Cup finalists have been announced! A few Midtown favorites along with outer borough hopefuls will be vying for the grand prize on Saturday, September 7th in Sunset Park’s Industry City. And the finalists are….

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When Brian first reported that there was now a chicken wing truck in Midtown called “Wing ‘n It,” I seriously started craving some good ole buffalo chicken wings. The only drawback was the $1 per wing price tag. To me, paying $1 per wing is almost like a tax on wanting to eat wings not at a sports bar and before 5pm. Wings aside, if you look further down the menu, Wing ‘n It has a “Pull ‘n It Chix Sandwich” that doesn’t get nearly enough attention as it should…

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While roaming the streets of midtown the other day, I noticed a cart I had never seen before on the northwest corner of Park and 49th. At a glance, it looked like just another Halal cart, but then I noticed the name – New York Philly Cheese Steak. The menu has cheesesteaks and chicken cheesesteaks at $8, but also a whole slew of Mexican offerings like tacos, quesadillas, tortas, etc. As I recently learned, you can find an alright cheesesteak on the street for $5 or $6, so the $8 price tag here leads me to believe that this might not be just another street cheesesteak. Is this place new? Has anyone tried it? Let us know in the comments…

Last Friday, Mayhem & Stout opened its first permanent location (2nd Ave. btw 38+39th), so of course we had to check out the Vendy Award finalist at its new digs to see how their braised meat sandwiches faired the move from pop-up market to brick & mortar.

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The time has come again to crown a new sultan of Midtown’s street meat! Yes, an exclusive group of lucky Midtown lunchers will come together in an undisclosed Midtown location to taste 15 different plates of street meat and crown the winner. The past five years have seen the Famous Halal Guys, Kwik Meal, Kwik Gourmet, Comme Ci Comme Ca, and Uncle Gussy’s each take home the glory (and retiring from this competition), but that means we need your votes for this year’s 15 finalists!

Just like previous years, Street Meat Palooza will not be open to the public. It is an invite only, blind tasting of 15 different plates of street meat. But there is a way for you to win a coveted slot at the “judges” table.

Want a chance to attend? All you have to do is nominate your favorite street meat cart in the comments and you’re registered to score a slot at Street Meat Palooza 6. But there are a few rules so please read them closely:

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